Any Given Sign
by keysandhearts
Summary: College is a time for growing up, growing apart, or growing together.  For friends and lovers, four years can make all the difference.  Akuroku, RiSo, Zemyx.


**Summary: College is a time for growing up, growing apart, or growing together. For friends and lovers, four years can make all the difference. Akuroku, RiSo, Zemyx. **

**Disclaimer: I hate disclaimers as they are a complete and total waste of time. Do you really need me to tell you that we don't own Kingdom Hearts? (If that sounded bitter, it's pure coincidence)**

**Dedication: This fic is dedicated to all of you who are still reading AND reviewing for Kingdom Hearts. I don't know if the KH fandom is dying, whether readers don't feel like leaving reviews anymore, or if there simply aren't ENOUGH readers, but I do know from the conversations I've had with other writers that they feel extremely discouraged by the lack of reader responses. I love this fandom and I want it to prosper. Whether it's Akuroku, RiSo, Zemyx, or Cleon, I don't particularly care. I hope all of you readers feel the same. So, as I said before, this is dedicated to you.**

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**CHAPTER I: Proceed With Caution **

Roxas was bone-dead tired. He collapsed face first onto his dorm room bed, and with a groan, buried his face into the pillow. The last of his midterms were finally over, thank God, although if he'd been blessed in any way whatsoever he was almost certain that his exams would've been a lot easier. Instead, he'd been up for four days solid with a grand total of six hours sleep. His cousin Sora on the other hand had slept like a baby. Whether it was the difference of their chosen majors or a testament to Sora's lack of attention to academic detail, Roxas couldn't tell. And still Sora had managed to see his boyfriend Riku every night.

Maybe there really wasn't a God.

Roxas tried not to sneer at the thought of Sora's significant other. He couldn't stand Riku; self-important, arrogant, manipulative, selfish, self-obsessed Riku, who somehow managed to always talk Sora into doing things that were neither smart nor particularly good for him. Over the course of the last nine weeks Roxas had become aware that he and Sora had slowly begun to drift apart. Through most of those weeks he had managed to convince himself that Sora's relationship with Riku was just a phase, just another crush that would come and go like all the rest of his short-lived infatuations. Like the blue-eyed junior with blond spiky hair that he'd admired from afar for two weeks during his freshman year. Or the gray-eyed senior he'd begun mooning over and talked about almost constantly at the start of the spring semester.

But then there was Riku. And despite what Roxas had told himself, there was no getting around the fact that from the start everything about this crush had been different. More than infatuation, more than obsession, yet Roxas couldn't bring himself to call it love. Nine weeks and counting and still no sign of boredom on Sora's part.

Roxas grit his teeth, shifting tiredly onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He and Sora were cousins, but more than that, they were best friends. Through grammar school, middle school, high school, and now, college. Everyone knew that he and Sora were practically attached at the hip. Where one went, the other followed, although sometimes it was hard to distinguish who was leading who.

Yet now—

Now he was lonely. For the first time since he and Sora had bonded over ice-cream when they were both eight years old, he truly felt alone. It seemed impossible. After all, his schedule was full to the brim. There should be no time left to brood over the fact that he and Sora had barely spent a full day together since he and Riku had hooked up.

A loud moan echoed from the room next to his and Roxas had to swallow down the nausea that worked its way from his stomach to his throat.

Sora and Riku. Riku and Sora.

Nine weeks ago the silver-haired junior had moved into the dorm room next door. He and Sora had taken one look at each other and that had been it; chemistry, lightning striking, natural disaster, you could call it whatever you wanted, but their meeting had sparked something in Sora that could have moved mountains or caused the earth to shift on its axis.

Another loud moan broke through his reverie and Roxas could no longer stand it. He sat up abruptly and crouched over to reach for his shoes, shoving his feet hastily into them as the moans grew louder and the heavy creaking of the bed hitting the wall began to quicken.

It only took two long strides to reach the door.

Five minutes later he was panting, having sprinted across campus in the hopes of outrunning the memory of Sora's moans of pleasure. He stood outside Hayner's door trying to catch his breath, but before he could reach up to knock, the door jerked open. His friend stood there looking at him with both arms crossed over his chest, his brows raised practically to his hairline.

"Sora and Riku at it again?" he asked. Despite his matter of fact tone, his eyes were sympathetic.

"Yeah," Roxas replied, managing to straighten up and simultaneously shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Well alright then. Come on in." He opened the door wide enough for Roxas to shift through then closed it behind him. "Take a load off."

Roxas hesitated, grimacing slightly as he looked around at the mess Hayner called a room. He was pretty sure that his friend hadn't once tried to clean it since he'd moved in at the beginning of the semester. He took a tentative seat at the desk while Hayner moved to sprawl across his bed, ignoring the pile of dirty laundry that fell to the floor from the foot of his bed.

"Hey, man, I know what you're going through. When Pence and Olette started dating I could barely stand to be around them. I mean, their faces were locked together all the time. I was almost positive they were going to be permanently stuck like that."

Roxas ran his hands through his blond spikes, swallowing hard before he answered. "Yeah, I know. But this is so much worse. At least you didn't have to listen to them having sex."

Hayner grimaced. "Yeah, that's true. Gah, don't even mention that. Just the thought of it…" he trailed off with a shudder and Roxas couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Exactly."

His friend was silent for a minute before he gave a sigh and propped himself back against his pillows. "You're going to have to find some way of dealing with it, though. You're always welcome here, you know, but it seems like Riku might be around for a while. I'm not sure ignoring the situation is going to make it any better."

Roxas couldn't keep from bristling slightly. "What do you expect me to do? Say 'Gee, Sora, I'm glad that you're finally getting fucked on a regular basis, I'm so happy for you?'"

Hayner raised a brow. "Maybe." He turned over on his side to face Roxas before continuing. "I know you don't want to hear this but if you really love your cousin then you'll want what's best for him. Even if that means you don't like it."

He couldn't help but scoff. "Yeah, Riku's really great for Sora. Like the time he got Sora so drunk that he could barely walk and was almost too hung over the next day to take his midterm. Or the time Riku dared him to sneak into Professor Vexen's office at night and he got caught by the campus police. He almost got expelled!" Roxas's voice had risen throughout his tirade until he practically yelled the last sentence and Hayner visibly winced.

"Alright, alright, so Riku's an asshole. That doesn't change the fact that they're going out. And you _are_ going to have to deal with it. One way or the other," he finished quietly, shifting over onto his back and crossing his arms behind his head to stare up at the ceiling.

"Whatever," Roxas said with a growl, glaring down at the floor. Why couldn't things go back to the way they were? Why did Riku have to ruin everything? _Was_ he being selfish? If Riku was really what Sora wanted, then shouldn't he be happy for him? He couldn't help but remember the pounding of the bed against the thin walls that separated their room from Riku's, couldn't help but imagine the older boy's smug face as Sora sat astride his naked hips, as he watched him gasp in pleasure—

No! Just NO! No way was someone like Riku good enough for Sora and that was the end of it. He was perfectly justified in his dislike for the silver-haired junior and if that meant he was being selfish then so be it.

"Why don't you forget about it for a little while?" Hayner said, sitting up and staring at Roxas intently. "You know that crazy senior with the pink hair? That weird botany major? Well, he's throwing a party tonight. I heard it's going to be wild."

Roxas couldn't help but grimace slightly. "You know I hate those things. I don't even drink."

His friend got up from the bed and walked over to punch him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, man, this is just the thing to get your mind off your cousin and his…situation. And you are most definitely going to get wasted tonight even if I have to see to it personally. You're due."

Roxas sighed and shook his head slightly, a weak smile crossing his heart-shaped face. "Yeah. Alright."

Hayner grinned. "Just wait, you'll see. Tonight is going to be awesome."

This time he couldn't stifle a grimace. Somehow he knew that he was going to live to regret this.

* * *

Fireworks—lots and lots of fireworks in an array of hues swept across Roxas's vision, but primarily they were colored in red and green. He could feel them exploding through him, from his cheeks to his lips, down to the firm planes of his stomach and into his groin. Pleasure radiated all through him and the fireworks became more intense. Crimson and emerald melded together, so bright that he was forced to turn away. He shuddered and moaned until the intensity began to fade and the heavy jolting pleasure became twitching aftershocks. Then finally, just before his eyes slid shut and darkness overtook him, bright green coalesced into a pair of eyes staring down at him.

And Roxas smiled.

He woke with a pounding headache and grimaced as his stomach threatened to turn inside out. He didn't know where he was, why he felt so sick, or even why there seemed to be something warm and hard attached to his back and slung across his waist.

Slowly, very slowly, he cracked one eye open. Sunlight streamed through a window behind him, flooding the room with light. He stifled a groan and swallowed as the brightness caused the hammering in his head to intensify.

_Where the hell am I?_

One glimpse of the room had told him enough to know that he wasn't in his room. Or Hayner's for that matter.

The warmth at his waist tightened and Roxas's heart jumped into his throat. It was only then that he realized the hard weight wrapped around him was a person's arm.

Oh, God. What the hell had happened last night?

He remembered walking into a loud party; a dark apartment filled to overflowing with people, loud voices and raucous laughter, drink after drink being shoved into his hand, earsplitting music booming from overlarge speakers. And finally something else…he remembered red and green bursts of light and recalled vaguely that there might have been fireworks at the party. Or maybe that had been after.

Trying to remember wasn't getting him anywhere and oh fuck, if he didn't make it to the bathroom soon he was going to vomit all over the pillow he was laying on.

He didn't want to think about the girl he had apparently slept with or the fact that she was still lying beside him, her arm wrapped firmly around him. He couldn't even remember her name or what she looked like. Shit, oh shit, he was never drinking again.

He moved jerkily to a sitting position and this time he wasn't able to stifle a groan. The presence next to him shifted and Roxas finally and slowly turned his head to look at her. Only it wasn't a her. It was a _him_.

Roxas's horror was quantified by the amount of liquor he managed to heave into the toilet. It was a miracle that he managed to make it to the bathroom before his gag reflex found a physical way to express his shock. An interminable amount of time later he finally rose from his crouched position and washed his mouth out, splashing his face with cold water. When he could finally bring himself to look up at the mirror over the sink, his face still reflected his horror. He was utterly pale, his blue eyes wide and deep set and underscored by dark circles. His head still pounded fiercely and for a moment he contemplated losing himself in the pain. At least then he wouldn't have to think about what he'd done.

Fuck. Now what?

"Good morning." The raspy voice came from the doorway behind him and Roxas felt very much like a hero from a horror flick—positive that he didn't want to turn around and face the monster standing there but still unable to help himself.

Instead he looked into the mirror and stared into the greenest pair of eyes he had ever seen. They were narrow like a cat's and framed by black lashes. Two dark indigo triangle tattoos high on each cheek underscored them and flame red hair spiked out from his head.

Well, that explained the red and green fireworks. Roxas swayed sickly at the thought.

"Hellooo, Earth to Roxas," the redhead said, smirking slightly, but his eyes were narrowed in question.

He didn't know which made him feel worse: the fact that the older boy standing behind him remembered his name when Roxas couldn't even recall what had happened the night before; or that his greatest impulse was to run from the room in the hopes of never having to see him again, never mind having to talk to him. He could always try vomiting again. Maybe that would deter the redhead from trying to make conversation.

The older male tilted his head and took a step toward him. In the process it became clear to Roxas that the he still hadn't dressed. His skin was smooth and white and the long whipcord frame that composed his torso was wiry muscle rather than thick. His stomach was washboard flat and his hips were slim, the bones there protruding sharply before tapering into lean thighs…Roxas couldn't help but swallow. Hard.

"You don't remember, do you?" he finally asked, his green eyes narrowing again.

Roxas shut his eyes before answering, bowing his head and trying futilely to compose his thoughts. "I'm sorry, I really don't."

"Not surprising. You were pretty wasted last night."

Roxas's head shot up as his brain finally began to function. "And you weren't?"

He smirked. "Sure, I was. Why? Does that make a difference?"

"You're damn right it does." Roxas retorted hotly. "I was too drunk to remember anything and you seem to be just fine. If you were so fucking wasted then why am I the only one who looks and feels like shit?"

"Hey, kid, it's not my fault you can't hold your liquor. If you're trying to imply that I took advantage of you then…" the older boy trailed off as he chuckled loudly. "Well, I can't deny that I saw a chance and took it. You're pretty damn hot, after all."

Roxas felt himself flush and for the first time since the conversation had begun, he felt self-conscious. He had woken in his boxers and he was more than grateful that he hadn't been naked when he'd been forced to rush to the bathroom.

He was still confused. Did that mean he had been taken advantage of or not?

"It's not that big a deal. We made out a bit and I sucked you off before you passed out. Nothing to get worked up over. Shit like this happens all the time."

"Not to me," Roxas whispered tiredly. He couldn't do this, couldn't deal with it. Not now, standing in a stranger's bathroom, clad only in his underwear, hung over and barely functioning. Right now he needed to go home, take a scalding hot shower and lose himself in sleep. Hopefully in that order.

Something in the redhead's eyes revealed that he knew what Roxas was thinking. "I'll get your clothes together," he said and Roxas turned to thank him only to realize that the older male was still naked. He couldn't help but close his eyes tightly at the sight and then a bitter laugh rang out.

"Oh yeah, that's going to save you, blondie. Close your eyes and it'll all go away."

Roxas was going to snap something back but sudden fatigue overwhelmed him. "Please," he whispered instead.

The redhead stared at him. "Shit. This was your first time, wasn't it?"

He swallowed hard and shook his head. "Please."

The older boy gave him one last hard look before he turned away and shut the door and Roxas gave a sigh that was so long and deep that he felt light-headed. He had to prop himself back against the sink to keep from collapsing to the floor.

He couldn't deal with this, couldn't even begin to imagine how he was going to cope with the knowledge that he'd just slept with a complete stranger, and worst of all, a _boy_. Not that it was particularly relevant because his best friend was, after all, gay, and Roxas had never thought anything of it. But still he'd never considered the possibility for himself…

"Here." Roxas hadn't even noticed the return of the redhead until his clothes were shoved under his nose. Instead of being wadded into a bundle as he'd expected, they were folded neatly—socks, shirt and pants, all pressed into orderly lines.

Roxas forced himself to look up into green eyes and smiled weakly. "Thanks."

The older boy didn't say anything, just stared intently at him until Roxas grew uncomfortable. "I don't suppose I could talk you into going out for some breakfast? Maybe we could talk about it."

Roxas almost snorted his amusement. From the expression on his face, the redhead was no more comfortable with the idea than he himself felt. And really, what was Roxas going to say? Gee, I'm sorry that we apparently hooked up last night and I don't remember anything, much less your name and I really don't care to know? Yeah, that would go over well.

Roxas instead cleared his throat before answering. "No, I really have to get back. My roommate's probably worried about me." Roxas tried not to wince at the thought. Then again, Sora had been spending so much time with Riku lately that who was he to criticize?

"So you get a blow job and I get blown off. I guess that makes sense," the redhead said sardonically.

Roxas's temper, fueled by impatience and a very real migraine, flared to life. "Listen, asshole, I'm sorry I passed out before I could return the favor. Would that have made you feel better? If I'd sucked you off too? I don't fucking remember what happened, alright? Now if you'd leave so I can get dressed and out of your hair I'd really appreciate it."

The redhead's eyes burned a poisonous green but he backed away, a smirk working its way onto his face. "Sorry." He shut the door behind him with a slam so hard that Roxas felt as if his head was going to explode. _Asshole. He did it on purpose._

Of course he had. And of course Roxas knew he was the real asshole here but he couldn't bring himself to care. Because he still felt sick, and he had to face Sora at some point and maybe even Hayner. Hayner, whose mysterious disappearance had left him in the company of a strange redhead with whom he'd somehow ended up in bed. And that was so unlike his friend that Roxas knew something must have happened.

Damn, what a mess. If only he could remember what happened.

If only, if only, if only. If only Sora wasn't dating such a prick. If only he hadn't let Hayner convince him to go to the party. If only he hadn't gotten so trashed. If only he hadn't slept with an unknown redhead with an apparently sarcastic sense of humor and a sadistic need to tick Roxas off. If only.

Roxas took a deep breath, resolved to consider how to fix the mess at some later point in the day when his head wasn't about to come unhinged from the rest of his body, and began to dress.

When he exited the room the strange redhead was already gone. He'd never found out his name.

Trentham Hall, the dorm that housed most of the sophomore class of Hollow Bastion University, was almost eerily empty as Roxas stood at its entrance and frowned. Had something more happened during the night than just him getting wasted and ending up disastrously in bed with a stranger? Had he woken up in an alternate dimension?

It was then that he remembered the big blitzball tournament was even now taking place and he couldn't keep from groaning. Sora's friends, Wakka and Tidus, were playing in the big game and Roxas had promised to go, if only to spend some time with his cousin. He was supposed to have met Sora that morning before the event started. He pulled out his phone, for some reason only now remembering its presence in his pocket, and flipped it open to check his messages. Except it was completely dead, the face display black no matter how many times he hit the power button.

"Fuck me," he whispered.

"It looks a little like you've already been fucked," a sarcastic voice said from his right.

Roxas closed his eyes and tried to stave off the nausea that was now threatening to overwhelm him. Some days it didn't pay to get out of bed.

He slowly turned around to face Riku.

"What the hell do you want?" He didn't even try for the cold, curt courtesy with which he had always treated his cousin's new boyfriend. He was past the point of caring what Riku thought.

"Well, well. Looks like the gloves are finally off," Riku murmured, an amused glint lighting his aqua eyes.

"Fuck you."

"No thanks. I have Sora for that."

Roxas grit his teeth and balled his hands into clenched fists. "I'll ask again: what the hell do you want?"

Riku tilted his head, raising one arrogant eyebrow. "Sora was worried about you. He said you were supposed to meet him this morning and I told him I'd check up on you. But then, you look fine to me. Other than the collar of hickeys on your neck and the fact you smell like you took a bath in a beer keg."

Roxas just barely stopped himself from reaching a hand guiltily to his neck, instead choosing to go on the offensive. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you tell Sora that you'd check on me? You don't give a damn about me."

Riku's eyes glinted dangerously before he chose to answer. "You're right, I don't. I couldn't care less if you chose to throw yourself over a bridge. But I care about Sora, despite what you think, and he was worried about you."

Somehow Roxas doubted it was that simple. Riku was the type of guy who had more than one motive for doing anything, especially anything nice.

"Well, you can tell Sora I'm fine and that you did your wifely duty. I'll even give you a gold star for effort," Roxas said sarcastically, pushing past him and into the lobby.

"I'll wait here for you and we can meet Sora together," Riku said to his back and Roxas had to stifle a scream of frustration.

"I don't _need_ a babysitter."

"Apparently you do or I wouldn't be here. Fifteen minutes, Roxas, and then I'm coming upstairs after you. Don't test my patience."

Roxas was about to tell him that he could go and fuck himself, but really, what would that accomplish other than another hostile exchange of words? The gloves were well and truly off.

Roxas chose to climb the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. He would rather have eaten a thousand live poisonous frogs than spend another minute in Riku's company. What the hell did Sora see in him?

Twenty minutes later Roxas exited his dorm room, liking the image of Riku pacing the lobby in irritation as he waited for him, and headed toward the elevator. He had plugged in his phone long enough for him to have sufficient battery power to check it and he winced as he looked at the number of messages he'd received. His voicemail was apparently full and he'd received fifteen text messages, nine of them from Sora asking him where the hell he was. He couldn't stifle the mix of guilt and anger he felt when he saw them. Sora had sent Riku of all people to check on him. He hadn't even come himself. And now Roxas had to spend the minutes it would take to walk to the blitzball field in Riku's company. _Life doesn't get much better than this_, Roxas though bitterly as he hit the elevator button for the lobby.

The walk to the blitzball arena was short and done in silence. Roxas was grateful for it, even if he had to stifle the urge to growl at odd moments whenever he looked over at Riku, who always met his glance with a smirk. He fantasized the whole way about wiping it off with his fist but he was pretty sure Sora would be angry with him if he marred his boyfriend's pretty face.

They reached the stands and not even thirty seconds later he turned around as he heard someone call his name. "Roxas!"

Hayner was coming toward him from the direction of the snack bar, carrying two cokes and with a hot dog already partially stuck in his mouth. "Hayner, what the hell?"

His friend met the non sequitur with a grimace, chewing hastily on his hot dog in an attempt not to talk with his mouth full. "I'm so sorry, man. I tried to call you like a billion times last night but you never picked up."

"What the hell happened last night?" Roxas realized the stupidity of his question when he glanced over at Riku, who was listening intently to every word with one lifted silver brow. Anything he said would be used against him, and worse, probably told to Sora. He wasn't sure if he wanted his cousin to know about his misadventure last night. He wasn't sure he wanted _anyone_ to know.

"Didn't you get any of my messages? Seifer showed up and I was kind of wasted and he was being an asshole, and well, someone called the cops, and I fucking spent half the night in lockup."

Seifer, Hayner's hometown bully, was also attending the University and their fights were always legendary. So Roxas shouldn't have been surprised by the news. Still, he couldn't help it as his mouth dropped open in disbelief. "You have to be kidding! Who came and picked you up?"

Hayner grimaced. "Olette. I had to listen to her lecture me all the way back to campus. It was a nightmare!"

Roxas grinned and then he couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. He laughed so hard that he his stomach hurt and his head felt like it was going to explode from his still blistering hangover but he didn't care. Sometimes if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. He much preferred laughing.

"It's not funny, man. I have to go to court on a drunk and disorderly charge and will probably have to do like a million hours of community service!"

"Remind me to say no the next time you come up with another brilliant idea," he said sarcastically, but the smile was still tilting his mouth and Hayner reluctantly grinned back in response.

"Yeah, it was a pretty wild party. What happened to you? I know you got wasted but I lost track of you. Did you get home okay?"

Roxas scowled. No way was he going to tell Hayner what really happened. Especially once he glanced over at Riku and saw him watching him with narrowed curious eyes. "Yeah, it was fine. I stayed over at a friend's."

Riku snorted then smirked but didn't comment and Roxas had to stifle another growl. He was wearing a high-neck long-sleeved shirt, perfect for the autumn weather but Riku knew the real reason he was wearing it. There were also some bruises on his arms which he had no idea how he'd gotten, but he could guess. _Freakin' redhead_.

He wasn't going to think about that. Not yet.

"Roxas!"

Someone called his name from the direction of the stands and he turned to see Sora pushing his way through the crowd. Anxiety, resentment, and gratitude all warred within him. Sora's familiar features came into view, his wide blue eyes concerned as they swept over him before he pulled Roxas into a hug. He couldn't help but stiffen a little at first but then he melted against his cousin, closing his eyes as the familiar smell of vanilla and something that was uniquely _Sora_ swept over him. It was only then that he realized how tired he really was, pressed so close to his cousin, and just how lonely he'd been. The entire night before began to fade, like a nightmare in the light of day.

Sora slowly pulled away, once more examining Roxas with a furrowed brow. "Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours," he asked, his lower lip protruding in its customary pout. Roxas stifled the urge to roll his eyes.

"I'm fine. Don't worry, your boyfriend did his duty and _checked up on me_," he replied tartly.

Sora grimaced sheepishly, running his hands through the back of his hair and causing his messy brown spikes to stand up even further. "Yeah, sorry, but I had to stay here and save our seats."

Riku walked toward Sora then, wrapping an arm around his waist. "So who's watching our seats now that you're here?" he asked teasingly and Sora grinned up at him. Roxas maturely did his best not to gag.

"Olette and Pence. We'd better get going. The game is about to start."

Riku held back, shooting a glance over at Roxas before turning back to Sora. "Just a second. I need a minute with your cousin."

Sora looked worried. He had no illusions on how his cousin felt about Riku. He glanced over at Roxas, giving him a warning look before he lead Hayner toward the stands, shooting him looks back over his shoulder just in case he hadn't gotten it the first time.

"What now?" Roxas asked, his impatience obvious.

"You can tell Sora what happened to you last night, later," Riku said with narrowed eyes and Roxas swallowed hard.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That ring of hickeys was pretty obvious. I don't know what happened and I really don't care. Except that Sora's worried that I'm coming between the two of you and if he thinks that you're not telling him things because of me—"

Roxas smirked. "Afraid he's going to dump you, Riku?"

Riku's eyes glinted with very real anger. "You should be careful, Roxas. It may not turn out the way you hope."

"Oh, I don't think so. I think you're the one who needs to be careful. Blood is thicker than water, Riku. Just remember that." Roxas stormed away, taking the stairs two at a time as he made his way up to the stands.

When he reached the place his friends sat he took a seat next to Hayner and just below Sora, hoping that his cousin wouldn't ask any questions.

"Where's Riku," Sora asked and Roxas's mouth tilted bitterly.

"I have no idea. Unlike you, I'm not his keeper."

Just then Riku came into view and Sora let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, I managed to restrain myself." Sora looked at him in question and Roxas smiled slightly. "He's still breathing, isn't he?"

Sora rolled his eyes and turned to smile at Riku as he made room for him on the bleacher seat. Riku ignored Roxas, directing all of his attention to Sora as he slung an arm around his shoulders.

Roxas had to grit his teeth again. Someday Sora would get tired of the silver-haired upperclassman and everything would go back to the way it had been. Until then, he'd just have to wait it out. He only hoped that day came soon.

* * *

Tidus was always nervous before a game but luckily he had something to steady himself. He pulled out the little baggie of white powder that he'd hastily pushed into his pant pocket that morning, staring at it under the dim golden lights of the locker room. He felt his adrenaline spike from just the reassuring weight of it in his palm.

He glanced around furtively before pulling out a thin piece of paper from his other pocket and hastily but carefully shook the thick white powder into the bindle.

He just needed a little pick-me-up, something to steady his nerves, to lend him that feeling of invincibility. A small straw had been wrapped in the bindle and he trembled in anticipation as he brought it to his nose and efficiently snorted the coke in two long inhales. Immediately his nerves began to steady and his head felt light, everything around him becoming somehow cleaner and brighter. He smiled in relief, relishing the feeling as he closed his eyes in order to savor it.

"Tidus, man, you still in here?"

Tidus jerked to his feet, hastily shoving the paper and baggy into his pants pocket before he turned around to face Wakka.

"Yeah, I was just doing a little meditation. You know how it is—I was a little too tense."

Wakka, his bright orange hair half-hidden beneath a neon yellow head band the same color of his uniform, stared at him from across the room. For a minute there was silence and then he shook his head. "I hope you're ready for this. There are a lot of people out there. If we win today we'll have our shot at the championship, ya?"

Tidus smiled smugly, walking toward his friend and draping one arm around his burly shoulders. "Don't worry about it. We got this in the bag. They won't even know what hit 'em."

Wakka glanced over at him once before he shook his head. "I hope you're right. It would be a dream come true if one of the professional league scouts saw us today."

Tidus grinned. "Yeah, that would be awesome. Our futures would be set," Tidus's smile became slightly sour as he said, "And then maybe I could get Jecht off my back."

Wakka patted his shoulder once in sympathy but didn't say anything. Bringing up Tidus's father was like pouring gasoline on an already spreading fire. "Let's get to it then, ya?"

Tidus's grin brightened sharply as he raced for the door. "You got it, man. Let's kick some ass."

Wakka stood for a moment staring after him, then glanced back to where Tidus had been standing when he'd come in. He closed his eyes tightly, the muscles in his arms and shoulders tensing before he finally gave a sigh and made his own way to the door.

Tidus was on fire. He could do no wrong. Every pass and shot found its target. Every goal made its way into the net with perfect precision.

Goal. Fuck you, Dad. Pass. Fuck you, Dad. Goal, goal, goal. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.

He didn't even hear the crowd chanting his name, his concentration was so absolute. Nothing existed but the net and his fellow team members. The opponent team was just an obstacle in his path, barely noticeable as he swam and shot and passed for all he was worth.

The time ticked steadily down until the game was finally over but Tidus was so in the zone that he was surprised when the buzzer finally rang, signaling the end of the match.

Then he was being swarmed by his teammates, all of them yelling incoherently at him as they pulled him roughly into their arms.

"We did it, man!"

"You fucking rocked!"

"You're the best, dude! The absolute best!"

The end score was 6-0, with four of those shots accomplished by Tidus, and two by Wakka with him on the assist.

Suddenly Coach Auron stepped into view and the whole team waited in breathless anticipation for him to speak. Their coach rarely gave out any praise but when he did it always made up for the lack of it the rest of the time.

"Great work out there, team. You all worked hard and it showed." He then turned to Tidus and his mouth twisted into a small smile. "Nice job out there today, Tidus. Keep it up. You all have the day off tomorrow but on Monday it's back to work." And with that said, he exited the locker room, the team breaking out into loud cheers as soon as he was gone.

"Man, we have to go out and celebrate," Wedge said excitedly as he hi-fived Graav.

"Yeah, totally!" Myu echoing the sentiment with a slap to Tidus's back. Tidus grinned and turned around to grab Wakka into a hug. His friend smiled down at him, the expression lighting his brown eyes before he returned the hug with a pat on the back.

"Great job out there today. You really showed them, ya?"

"You bet. And it'll only get better from here."

Wakka stared intently at him for a second before he smiled back. "Let's get out of here and celebrate."

The whole team gave another loud cheer and then they were off, Tidus patting his side pocket once before following.

* * *

Unlike Roxas, Axel remembered everything. It was one of his curses and one of his blessings that he always had perfect recall. Today it was both. He remembered Roxas's smooth skin under his fingers, his breathless moans, the panting fervor that had left the younger boy's cheeks flushed and his heartbeat erratic.

He cursed beneath his breath from his position on the couch, staring into nothingness. The TV was black, the hum of the lights and the ticking clock on the desk behind him the only sounds in the small apartment.

His sheets still smelled like Roxas. He couldn't even go into his room now for remembering the boy moving restlessly beneath him on the bed, his thighs clasped tightly around Axel's hips as he called his name over and over.

Roxas hadn't had any trouble remembering his name last night but that morning it had been like a one-eighty. Axel hadn't even realized the younger boy had been that drunk. Sure, his words had slurred slightly when he'd introduced himself, but he'd had no trouble standing or walking. For all that Axel had made fun of Roxas and accused him of not being able to hold his drink, he'd done a remarkable job of appearing sober.

Guilt was a foreign concept to Axel, but that didn't stop his stomach from swimming sickly. He couldn't forget the despairing look Roxas had shot him just before he'd gone to fetch his clothes. Truthfully, he'd gone to get his clothes for him, had folded them neatly after finding them strewn about the room—one sock beneath the bed, the other near the door, his shirt draped over the lamp shade, and his pants tangled at the foot of the bed—in order to escape that look. He had taken his time putting the clothes together, slowly folding and pressing the shirt and pants before he'd gotten up the nerve to give them back to Roxas.

Then he'd had the balls to actually get angry at the younger boy when he'd wanted to leave. What the hell _had_ he expected? A ticker-tape parade with a banner loudly proclaiming that Roxas loved Axel? God, what a fucking prick he was.

He had to find some way to fix this. But how? How the hell was he going to make any of it better after he'd fucked up so badly?

His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden ringing of a phone and he shot up straight and then dashed for it until he realized that Roxas didn't have his phone number. _Prick. _Axel slowly flipped the phone open, sighing once when he saw who it was.

"Yeah, what's up?" he said into the receiver, pacing over to the couch before sitting restlessly on the edge of one of the cushions.

"How'd it go last night? I saw Roxas this morning and he didn't look too great."

Axel sighed and sank into the back of the couch, rubbing his forehead wearily. "Not as well as I'd hoped. He was a little more drunk than I'd thought."

"And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means, asswipe, that he doesn't remember anything. Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. The whole plan was a clusterfuck of epic proportions."

"Hmmm."

"That's all you have to say? Doesn't this ruin everything for you?"

"Not necessarily. You'll just have to find another means of getting what you want."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Axel asked harshly, sitting forward and propping his elbows on his knees.

"We made a deal and I expect you to stick to it."

Axel's eyes narrowed but his voice was calm when he asked, "Then what the hell do you expect me to do?"

The voice gave a loud chuckle before it chose to answer. "Have I ever told you that Roxas can sing?"

"I knew that already," he said tersely, holding on to his temper by a thread.

"Then what the hell is your problem? Ask him to join your band. Weren't you looking for a new vocalist anyway?"

"He won't come if I ask," Axel said moodily, reaching forward to grab a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table.

"Don't worry about it. Demyx owes me a favor."

"Who doesn't?" he replied sarcastically, taking out a cigarette before lighting it and taking one long puff.

The other voice chuckled again. "Too true. If you don't get it right the first time…"

"Try, try again." Axel finished the sentence for him and took another drag from the cigarette before hastily putting it out. "The deal was for once, Riku. I never promised I'd try this twice." Axel had no intention of letting Roxas go, despite what he said, but it wouldn't do for someone like Riku to know that. "_You_ are going to owe _me_ this time."

Riku snorted. "Whatever. I'll talk to Demyx tomorrow. Don't fuck up this time." And with a click the line went dead.

Axel sat back, once more staring into nothingness but this time his thoughts were slightly more optimistic. If Roxas joined his band then he'd have to spend time with him—long hours of rehearsal, untold days and nights together at gigs or on the road. A smile creased his pointed features and his eyes narrowed.

It would be perfect.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter as much as we enjoyed writing it. If you did, please leave a review.

Also, for those of you who wish to know, we will be updating TDYK in another week or so. I'm extremely excited about it! Let's hear it for tutoring lessons!


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